


City of Lights

by thetitanwar



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, he finally sleeps, oh man this was something that felt oddly good to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26626501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetitanwar/pseuds/thetitanwar
Summary: Percy and Annabeth have been through hell together. Everything takes a toll - but there are moments where it isn't so horrible. The all-encompassing fear isn't so constant anymore. Percy might be able to sleep this time. Annabeth might be able to breathe this time.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Kudos: 41





	City of Lights

**Author's Note:**

> This was based on a post I made on tumblr, and it got a handful of notes so I figured I would do what I wanted to do and write a fic about it. I want to write more anyhow. 
> 
> Let me know what you think! My ask box is open! 
> 
> tumblr: thetitanwar

Annabeth can smell the slight citrus smell of Percy’s shampoo, his barely damp hair splayed on the pillow in front of her. She can’t see him very well, but can hear him breathe softly. Annabeth wouldn’t need to see him anyway, she knows exactly where he is. Percy sighs in his sleep, Annabeth’s fingers lightly gliding through his hair. The strands of light that weave through the curtains illuminate a sliver of his shoulder, up into the nape of his neck. The sound of the city below is slightly quieter than during the daytime, now a white noise to lull them to sleep. Annabeth can’t sleep. Rather, she won’t. This is the first time in days that Percy has fallen asleep before dawn, and she feels a pull in her stomach to watch him for a moment. 

She worried for him. Percy didn’t sleep much, and if he did it was as tiring as staying up. He was plagued with nightmares, and they were as unpredictable as they were terrifying. Plenty of nights consisted of Percy waking up screaming. It was hard in the beginning of them living together. Annabeth had some of her own nightmares, but she didn’t have the chance to have them after moving in together. Percy had them, what felt like, every night for the first few months. At first, she didn’t know what to do. Watching him sweat and yell was distressing to say the least, and she always woke him up. It was nearly impossible on the worst nights. There were times where he would thrash and scream, calls for his mother ripping through his throat. Annabeth was caught in the crossfire a few times, waking her from her own sleep. 

Once it woke her from her own nightmare, and in her comedown from her own panic, she had shakily grabbed him. Her own voice was hoarse as she shook him, crying out for him to wake up. Percy was as ferocious as ever, and Annabeth’s grip must have reminded him of the Minotaur. He had grabbed her back, and Annabeth choked out a yelp at his death grip. 

_ “Please,”  _ She had cried, the words tearing out of her, the fire in her chest reaching her throat and threatening to spill out _ , “Percy please just wake up.” _

Percy had shot up in bed, his grip softening as soon as he saw her. The clouded panic and pain was instantly clear once their eyes met. 

_ “Annabeth,”  _ He gasped, his voice hoarse from shouting, _ “Oh my gods, Annabeth. I’m so sorry. Are you okay? I’m so sorry. Fuck, I’m so sorry-”  _

His arms had wrapped around her instantaneously, and only then did she realize tears were falling down her cheeks. 

_ “I’m- I’m alright,”  _ She breathed, her own arms wrapping around his back _ , “Percy-” _

_ “I’m sorry.” _

_ “Are you okay?”  _ She had asked him. His head dipped into her shoulder and his chest shook. Annabeth didn’t have to turn her head to know he was crying.

_ “My mom,” _ He cried into her shoulder, _ “I just want to sleep.” _

Annabeth had her own nights that kept him up. Most were sobs in her sleep, waking up to a wet pillowcase. After Percy was there, he was such a light sleeper, he would wake her by pulling her into his chest and talking into her ear. Sometimes it was talking about their day, what day it was, sometimes it was lyrics to a song, but plenty of times she had woken so Percy repeating ‘ _ come back to me, you’re alright now _ ’ like a prayer. Annabeth knew she hadn’t woken him up, by the bags under his eyes. Percy hadn’t slept at all, based on the look in his eyes. 

Most of her memories plagued her throughout the day, though, the chatter of monsters in her ears. On bad days, her skin itched where her scars from the chimera lay, memories of being a child and being so sure she was going to die. Her memories, they were almost inescapable. Sometimes she couldn’t push them back, and she would end up shaking on the floor behind the couch, muttering the date and time and what the current train schedule was; something, anything, to bring her back to the present moment. That’s where her and Percy differed. Somehow, he managed to shove off his memories until they could attack him in his sleep.

Now, though, he was finally asleep. This was the first night in months where he didn’t have a nightmare. It was the first rain in a drought. Finally, a moment of peace for him. Annabeth had to cherish it, even as he turned in bed so that his sleeping face was towards her own. Her fingers found the grey streak of hair, swooping across his forehead to skim along his eyebrow. As her fingers twirled the strand, she watched as the light illuminated a line of his face. He was relaxed, his muscles weren’t contorted in hypervigilance. Percy looked like a normal guy, one who didn’t have their past.

In this moment, as fleeting as Annabeth knew it was, her heart pushed against her ribs in hopes that he would have more nights like this. When he was sleeping softly like this, the youthful glow he had was back. It felt like the same boy she met at twelve years old, and her own muscles relaxed in knowing that things were alright. In these moments, it felt like everything was far behind them. Every minute in Tartarus, the Labyrinth that haunted her dreams, the wreckage and decay of the Battle of Manhattan, it all went away. The ghosts of their lost friends left them alone for a moment, all their regrets let them breathe for just a moment. Annabeth almost cried with relief. She knew she should sleep soon, or her whole next day would be wasted, but this was too valuable. It had been so long since she last saw her best friend at peace. She loved him too much, needed this for him too much, to roll over and sleep like this night was insignificant. Percy was alright. Things were alright. They were safe. Annabeth was safe. Maybe they really would come back from it all, build something outside of their pain. Percy could sleep.


End file.
